Thursday, November 8, 2012

Over the next week, some of the top entrepreneurs and techies from the midwest and beyond will be in Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. for Global Entrepreneurship Week. Global Entrepreneurship Week is an annual, week-long celebration of entrepreneurs, with hundreds of events around the world—so naturally, Kansas City, or the “City of Entrepreneurs” is participating. Global Entrepreneurship Week, KC starts today, and will include a wide variety of events, including networking sessions, workshops, talks and seminars.

As we’ve worked with the community to build Google Fiber in Kansas City, we’ve been inspired by the creativity and ingenuity of local entrepreneurs. So this year, we’re excited to participate in Global Entrepreneurship Week, KC by co-hosting three different events throughout the week. We’d love for you to join us at any of them.

Your life in the cloud
Have you ever wondered how you can use the cloud to make your life easier? Or even wondered what cloud computing is? Tomorrow we’ll be at the Compute Midwest Conference, where Brad Abrams, a Product Manager on our Cloud Platform Team, will give a keynote speech about the evolution of, and future of, Cloud Computing. Brad will talk about what the cloud computing means, how it works, and, most importantly, how you can use it in your life. You can RSVP for Brad’s talk (and many others) at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts on Friday, Nov. 9th at 11:35 AM Central Time.

Develop the apps of the future
Hackers and developers from around Kansas City will gather together on Saturday morning, Nov. 10th, to kick off the first-ever hackathon in the Google Fiber Space. The Compute Midwest Hackathon, sponsored by Kansas City IT Professionals, is a 24-hour app-building challenge, where hackers compete to develop the best new app. We’ll have a Fiber connection available for any hackers who want to try out Google Fiber speeds, and there are prizes available for the winners. Hacker slots are sold out, but you can come see presentations of the apps on Sunday morning, Nov. 11th at 10:30AM Central Time at the Fiber Space.

Build your startup
Finally, next Tuesday, Nov. 13th, we’re partnering with the Kauffman Foundation to bring you a day full of workshops and trainings to help you build and grow a successful business with the web and mobile. During our Google for Entrepreneurs session, Google engineers and product experts will teach you about our platforms and tools that can help you create innovative applications and growing businesses. At the end of the day, we’ll have a networking and cocktail reception. Please RSVP if you’d like to join us.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Dub's Dread residents, it’s time to select your Google Fiber service plan. Since you’ll be our second area to get Google Fiber, our engineers need to start prepping your area for service. And, in order to do that, they need to know which homes to connect.

This is important: If you haven’t selected your plan by November 15th, we will not build to your home at this time, and we don’t currently have plans to come back to Dub's Dread.

We also have some good news for some folks near Dub's Dread—we’ve extended Google Fiber eligibility to approximately 400 homes that weren’t originally included in the pre-registration rally. We had a ton of demand for service in the area surrounding Dub's Dread, so we’re extending the area’s boundary by a few blocks. You can see the new eligibility map below, or check your address on the Dub's Dread section of our website.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Six weeks ago we kicked off the Google Fiber rally, asking you where and when we should install Google Fiber in Kansas City. Since then, tens of thousands of you have raised your hands, rallied your neighbors, and pre-registered. We’ve been especially excited to see lots of momentum over the past few days—138 fiberhoods are now qualified for service.

The pre-registration period will be over on Sunday, September 9th at 11:59:59 pm CDT, so that means there are only two days left to help your fiberhood. We’ll be all around town this weekend to help out—including booths at Black Expo and Fiesta Hispana and a presence at the Central Avenue Parade celebration in downtown Kansas City, Kan. And as always, we’ll also be at the Fiber Space at 1814 Westport Rd. to answer your questions and help you pre-register.

Remember, Google Fiber works better when communities are connected together. So let’s do this for Kansas City!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

As the end of pre-registration approaches, we want to remind you that our Customer Support team is here for you. We’re staffed and prepared for the last days of pre-registration, so please call, chat, or email us.

A note regarding addresses: While we’ve resolved the vast majority of address issues, it’s still possible to run into an error while pre-registering—please don’t let that stop you! If you live in a fiberhood and get an address error message for your residence when you’re trying to pre-register, please reach out to us directly or via our website’s address review process. Even if you run into an address issue on the last day of rally, we’ll work through it so you can be counted towards your fiberhood’s goal.

Finally, keep an eye out for our Fiber team throughout the community. If you have any last minutes questions or concerns, and you want to talk to someone in person, they’re happy to help.

If you’re like me, you’re super excited that the NFL season is finally back. You’ve already got your team’s schedule on your calendar, you’ve updated your wardrobe of player jerseys, and, of course, you’ve drafted your teams for the three fantasy football leagues you’re in.

If this describes you (hardcore NFL nut) and you live in Kansas City, Google Fiber TV service is the perfect new service for you.

You’re probably already excited that the Google Fiber TV service includes NFL Network. We’re very excited to be working with the NFL Network to bring the best of the NFL—including Thursday Night Football—to everyone in Kansas City.

We’re also pleased to announce pricing for an additional channel called NFL RedZone. NFL RedZone gives fans live look-ins and highlights every Sunday afternoon during the season, switching to a game when a team is in the red zone.

We’re offering the NFL RedZone 2012 package for $40 for the season, payable in $10/month increments over 4 months. We’ll let you add RedZone at any time during the season, and you’ll only pay for the remaining months.

NFL Network and NFL RedZone are the first of many offerings we will have for the sports enthusiast. We will be adding more channels and add-on packages, so stay tuned.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

As we get closer to the end of pre-registration—and to our first customer installations—we’re getting a few very practical questions about devices and contracts. This blog post addresses some of these common Q&A’s below.

How much will the TV boxes cost?
Your first TV box - plus the Nexus 7 Tablet - are included for free in the Gigabit + TV package. For those of you who want Google Fiber on multiple televisions in your home, you can add extra TV Boxes for $5 each/month for 24 months. You also have the option to purchase TV boxes upfront for $120/ea. Extra boxes include a standard remote control but not a tablet.

What will the wiring and equipment look like? I don’t want my Fiber installation to affect the aesthetics of my house!
We hear you! We made our devices sleek and small so they don’t overtake your living room. We want you to notice Google Fiber’s high speeds and great experience, not the wiring or devices.

Our installers will go over all the details with you when they arrive to make sure you’re comfortable with exactly what is being installed and where it is going, but here’s a basic overview for now

At first, the majority of our work in your fiberhood will be outside, getting Google Fiber ready to bring to homes. We’ll be stringing Fiber on utility poles, and, in some cases, installing it in the ground.

Next, we’ll bring our Fiber connection from the street to the side of your house. This will happen before your scheduled installation appointment, but we will let you know that we’re coming and knock on your door before we go to the side of your house. Once Fiber is connected to the side of your house, we’ll contact you to schedule your installation.

On your installation day the first thing we’ll do is drill a hole (tiny) in an exterior wall to bring the fiber inside. Then, we’ll cover the hole with a mounted wall plate and Fiber Jack on the interior wall. The Fiber Jack, which is about the size of a deck of cards, will convert the fiber into a gigabit Ethernet connection, which will then connect to your Network Box. The Network Box is your Google Fiber router, enabling wired and wireless connectivity to all devices throughout your house.

You get to decide where everything will go (within reason). Our installer will be happy to help you figure out device placement.

If you are a Gigabit + TV customer, the final installation step will include installing the Storage Box right next to the Network Box and then hooking up each of the TV Boxes you’ve ordered.

I’m not sure if I’ll still be in my house in a year. Tell me more about the contracts and terms of service.
The answer to this question will probably depend a lot on the construction timing for your fiberhood and your potential move plans. During the signup period, we'll be more than happy to discuss and help you think through your specific options, and, of course, you can review all of the subscriber terms when you sign-up. But the basic answer is as follows:

You can cancel your service any time before we begin construction in your fiberhood (only your $10 registration fee is non-refundable).

If you decide to cancel Google Fiber service after it has been installed at your home, you’ll be responsible for:

$300 Construction Fee:

if you have had any Google Fiber service for more than one year, you owe nothing

if you paid the construction fee in full, you owe nothing

otherwise, you owe $25 x the number of months remaining in your first year of service

Devices for Gigabit + TV Customers:

if you have had Gigabit + TV service for more than two years, you owe nothing

otherwise, you may return the devices in good working order within 45 days of cancellation or you may pay a prorated amount based upon the value of the devices

Where are the hidden costs? What’s the fine print?
There are none. These aren’t promotional rates. We won’t make you call us every six months to keep the price you see on the website. You don’t need to cancel and then restart to get a better “online offer.” No shenanigans; just fast Internet and simple service. We want you to spend your time discovering what 100x the possibilities looks like, not on the phone with us. (Unless you want to call us, in which case, we’d love to chat!)

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Just over a month ago, we kicked off the Google Fiber Rally in Kansas City. We’re really glad the response from the community has been so enthusiastic. Ninety-eight fiberhoods have qualified for service already. You can see the rankings on both sides of the border in Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo.

There are only 12 days left until the Google Fiber rally ends, and some fiberhoods still haven’t reached their pre-registration goals. Your community needs your help. Mobilize your neighbors, otherwise the opportunity to get a gig might pass you by. And remember, not only will you be able to enjoy Google Fiber at your home, your community will also see the benefits, since we’ll be connecting schools, libraries, hospitals and more in qualified fiberhoods.

Here’s what you can do:

Pre-register if you haven’t already. All you need to do is provide some basic sign-up info and pay the $10 pre-registration fee. If your fiberhood qualifies, the $10 will count toward your first bill. If your fiberhood doesn’t qualify, we’ll return the $10 back to you.

Encourage your neighbors to pre-register, too. Getting Google Fiber is a combined effort between your fiberhood and Google Fiber. If your fiberhood doesn’t hit its goal, we’re not sure if or when we’ll come back again. So it’s important for you and your neighbors to pre-register now, before the rally ends.

You can still rally your neighbors even if your fiberhood has already qualified. The more pre-registrations there are in your fiberhood, the sooner we’ll install there. Pre-registration ends on September 9. Right after that, residents of qualified fiberhoods will be able to choose their Google Fiber packages. And within a few weeks, we expect to begin installing the first homes. So a Gigabit Internet is truly just around the corner.

There’s not a lot of time left, and we’re eager to help you and your neighbors with as much information as you’d like about Google Fiber. If you want to become a Google Fiber Ambassador, fill out this form and we’ll get back to you shortly. You can also download informational flyers right here to print and share. And if you want a Google Fiber sign for your yard, come pick one up at our our Fiber Space at 1814 Westport Rd. where you can also see demos of what a gig can do, ask questions in person to members of our Google Fiber team, and get help with pre-registration.

We’ll also be holding several events around town during the rest of the rally, including a pre-registration drive from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM next Saturday, September 8 at the Fiber Space Lounge. Bring your friends and neighbors for some food and fun entertainment.

Finally, as always, please check out our online FAQ or contact us by email, chat, or phone anytime. We’re here to help!